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2. Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson
UFC 192
Oct. 3, 2015 | Houston
If nothing else, Cormier earned his championship stripes. He successfully defended the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title with a five-round split decision over Gustafsson in the UFC 192 main event at the Toyota Center. The judges saw it 48-47 and 49-46 for Cormier and 48-47 for Gustafsson. The champion bucked popular thinking, eschewed the advice of his coaches and elected to stand with Gustafsson. After a first round in which he hoisted the 6-foot-5 Swedish kickboxer skyward and dumped him on his head, Cormier did not execute a single takedown and attempted only one over the final three frames. In the end, he beat Gustafsson at his own game. According to FightMetric figures, Cormier outpaced “The Mauler” 140-120 in the significant strike department and 219-130 in total strikes, outlanding him in every round but the fourth. He did the majority of his damage from the single collar tie, as he wrecked Gustafsson’s face with right uppercuts, leaving him with swollen eyes and a gash across the bridge of his nose. Gustafsson knocked down “DC” with a lightning-strike knee and follow-up punches in Round 3 but spent far too much of his time retreating, often with his back turned, in a clear attempt to prevent the Olympic wrestler from closing the distance. The additional effort cost him valuable fuel and led to a noticeable decline in his output, particularly in the fifth round, where Cormier threw 36 more strikes than his challenger.

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